With gratitude for community, Longmont veteran village marks grand opening

Yahoo

12 hours ago

Longmont's tiny home village for military veterans is complete, ushering in a new era of community support for all who served.
U.S. Army veteran Patrick Putnam moved to the village almost two years ago. As a part of the mission of Veterans Community Project, the nonprofit group that operates the village, Putnam lives there for free as he works toward permanent housing and employment.
In the years since moving in, Putnam has made the community his home. He tends to a blueberry bush on his front porch. He helped build some of the houses. Now that construction is finished, Putnam will keep pitching in by mowing the village's new grassy lawn.
'I love mowing grass,' he said. 'It's not even a chore for me.'
For Putnam, the VCP Longmont village gave him a 'place to start over' when he needed it. He was able to complete technical certifications that will help him with his goal to enter the information technology industry. After three months, he said, he stopped locking his door because of how safe the community felt.
Putnam plans to leave the village within the next four months, but he won't forget the bonds he built with fellow veterans who are dealing with similar experiences.
'It's not just stable, it's also comfortable,' Putnam said of VCP Longmont. 'It gives you plenty of breathing room to work on yourself. I had to focus on my mental health in particular when I first got here, and I had the room to do that.'
On Thursday, VCP Longmont celebrated its grand opening with a housewarming event at the village. Jennifer Seybold, executive director of VCP Longmont, recalled the 'stops and starts' in the process that began in 2019 to make the village a reality.
'Tonight feels like the moment after the move-in when the lights are on, and the boxes are unpacked, and you're finally ready to invite your neighbors over,' Seybold told dozens of visitors on Thursday.
With villages across the country, Veterans Community Project provides housing and case management for veterans struggling with homelessness. The Longmont village at 3095 Mountain Brook Drive has 26 tiny homes, a community center and outdoor recreation areas. There are currently 15 residents living there, regardless of their discharge status or type of service.
At Thursday's housewarming party, guests were invited to tour the village, look inside unoccupied tiny homes and meet VCP team members. Several guests wrote messages in marker on a sign for the village's community center. One read: 'We are proud to support our vets.'
Surrounded by homes decorated with American flags, people who played a role in the village's development reflected on the long journey.
Philanthropist Carrie Morgridge helped close out VCP Longmont's funding needs near the end of construction with a matching campaign. Morgridge said her father served in the U.S. Navy, which inspired her to seek out projects for veterans that the foundation could support.
'Knowing that the city of Longmont wanted this project is so important,' Morgridge said.
The Longmont City Council has backed the village for years, including waiving roughly $189,582 in development fees for VCP Longmont in 2022.
Vic Young gave more than 1,000 hours of volunteer labor to the village. He remembered how the site looked three years ago, with the field full of weeds and the community center still under construction.
Young thanked volunteers for pouring their time and energy into the project. He promised them that Thursday's ceremony didn't mark the end of their work, but the beginning, as the village can finally fulfill its purpose of serving veterans.
'When we look at what we've accomplished here, we surely can take pride in our work,' Young said. 'Because you gave, we look at this wonderful village that stands behind us here today.'